It Was Their Story
by emergencyxx
Summary: Everyone knew in the back of their minds that their story wasn’t suitable for an 8 year old to tell his classmates. But they couldn’t resist hearing it themselves. LOE.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: They all knew somewhere in the back of their minds that the story wasn't suitable for an 8 year old to tell his classmates. But they couldn't resist hearing it themselves. LOE.

* * *

**How They Met**

**April 9****th****, 2017**

"Alright kids, put away your work for now. It's time for Joey to share his story with us." Ms. Barlett, the tall blonde third grade teacher instructed her class. Every Thursday, someone else in the class had to share a short story with the rest of the students. Whether it be made up, or real.

A particularly cute child with longish, brownish hair smiled and hopped down from his seat, moving quickly to the front of the large classroom.

"Whenever you're ready please, Joey." The teacher said with a warm smile. The child named Joey ended his walk at a large chair, which was known as 'Story Time Chair' around those parts. "Thank you Ms. Barlett," said his small but confident voice

Joey cleared his throat and stared out into his audience, all of which were listening attentively. "My story is about two people, a boy and a girl, named Lillian and Joseph. It all started back in May of 2007, that's about 10, 11 years ago…"

* * *

**May 16****th****, 2007**

_It was Lillian's 15th birthday, and she was excited as ever. She had the perfect life, the perfect friends, the perfect boyfriend, and she was preparing to have the perfect birthday…that is until she met him._

"Mom, hurry up! We have to be there before anyone else AND we have to pick up Miley still!" came the voice of the frustrated 15 year old. She was no taller than 5'4, skinny with an amazing body, bright electric blue eyes, and had beautiful blonde hair. She was dressed in her best apparel, but they were still skater clothes nonetheless. She was a skater, and kind of a tomboy. "Calm down Lillian! Be happy were even doing this for you," her mother said annoyed as she walked down the stairs, cigarette in her mouth. Lillian looked at her mother confused, "Since when do you smoke?" Her mother quickly put the cigarette out in a small, black ash tray lying near by. "Don't you worry about it, now come on lets go, lets go, lets go!" her mother responded with a small grin on her face. Lillian let the smoking go for now and let excitement overcome her confusion. "Alright! I'm driving!" she exclaimed happily before grabbing the keys out of her mothers hands and running out the door to the car. Her mother smiled and followed her teenage daughter out the door.

"Okay now slow to a stop, and turn right at the light," Mrs. Truscott instructed her daughter nervously. "I know the way to Miley's house mother! And I think I know how to stop at a red light, I passed drivers training, remember?" Lilly retorted. "Lilly it's my car and if I want to give you instructions on things that will prevent you from ruining it, then I will. Drivers training or not," she laughed. Lilly let out a frustrated groan but couldn't help but smile. Lilly and her mother had a very good relationship. A few minutes later they pulled up into Miley Stewarts driveway. Miley was Lilly's best friend, and had been ever since she moved there from Tennessee. They were basically inseparable. "Does she know were here?" Mrs. Truscott asked her daughter. "Duh mother, text messages?" Lilly answer back, rolling her eyes. Her mother gave back the same gesture. A minute later, a brunette girl about the same height as Lillian came happily bouncing out of her house with a blonde boy. "Hey Lils, Jake came by early and I knew you wouldn't mind if I brought him," Miley said, sort of asking her best friends permission at the same time. "Hey Jake, and yeah Miles you know that's cool," Lilly answered. Miley smiled and her as her and Jake climbed into the backseat of the car. "LILLIAN! MAILBOX!" Her mother yelled. "I SAW IT MOTHER!" Lilly yelled back. The passengers couldn't help but laugh.

10 minutes later, and about 10 arguments later, the gang of four pulled into a semi-fancy, semi-casual club's parking lot and parked. "You're a little crooked there Lilly," Jake said smiling. He received a frightening scowl in return. Mrs. Truscott led the way into the building and the three teenagers followed. "Hello, we reserved the dance floor and the restaurant party room for today, that's under Heather Truscott," Lilly's mother said to a man at the front desk. "Ah yes, the party room is right back through that hall and down the left, first door and the dance floor should be ready in about a half an hour. Do you have a list of requested songs for the DJ to play?" The man asked Lillian. "Oh yeah," Lilly said as she pulled a piece of paper out of her purse, "Here you go." The man accepted the list from the teenager and smiled. "Whenever you're ready the party room is. Feel free to explore."

"Alright I'll set up, and you guys can go do whatever until the rest of the guests get here," Mrs. Truscott told the three teenagers. They all gave their appreciation and set off in an exploration of the place. "Whoa check out the DJ's booth guys," Jake said, peering into a room with tinted windows. They all pressed their faces to the glass. "Damn, I'm going to try to get myself hooked up in there!" he exclaimed. Miley hit him on his arm, "We're here for Lilly's birthday jackass." Jake smiled and leaned in to kiss his girlfriend. "I love you too," he said with a smile. "Hey Lilly we'll be right back…going to go get something to drink alright?" Miley asked her best friend. Lilly nodded and smiled as she watched them quickly walk off, hand in hand. "Kiss has her hypnotized…" she said to herself. She knew where they were really going. All of the sudden a pair of hands came out of the blue and covered Lilly's eyes. "What the hell!?" Lilly said, shocked. The mysterious figure softly kissed her neck, earning a small moan that escaped her lips. "Hey baby," the figure said, "Happy birthday." She pulled away from the grasp and turned to face her "attacker". "Adam! You came early!" Lilly exclaimed happily to her boyfriend with a hug. "Yeah Miley mentioned meeting you up here early with her and Jake, so I did," Adam said back to his girlfriend.

_Pause. Adam Parker, the 16 year old gorgeous quarterback of Seaview high school's varsity football. He had brown hair, crystal blue eyes, was about 5'10 and every girl in the school wanted him. But he was Lillian's, and she was his._

"We'll I'm glad you could make it," Lilly responded and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. He gave her one back. "You're so beautiful," was his only response. She smiled and they both leaned in to a full-blown make out session. "Well, well I see Adam made it," Miley said as she interrupted their kiss and scared them both. "Fuck Miley, you scared me," Lilly said, kind of annoyed that her kiss was broken. Miley laughed and said in a singsong voice, "Sorry!" Jake came soon after with two drinks in his hand. "Wow Miles, you ACTUALLY went and did what you said you were going to?" Lilly teased her best friend. Miley smiled, "For the second half of it." Lilly and Adam laughed, but Jake looked kind of embarrassed.

Lilly, Adam, Miley, and Jake all walked back to the party room, to find a majority of the guests arriving. They all greeted Lilly the same. A huge hug, a happy birthday, a 'thanks for inviting me', and handed her a gift. She thanked them all, and graciously accepted her gifts. When all of the 25 guests showed up, the part enjoyed a nice meal and delicious desert, and then all of them shuffled out to the dance floor. "I'll be right there everyone, I have to pee!" Lilly said, and laughed. Everyone nodded and continued on their way to the dance floor. "Nice turn out, eh?" Lillian's mother said to her. "Yes thank you so much mom, hey where's dad by the way? He was supposed to be here…" Lilly asked her mom, realizing her dad was nowhere to be seen. Heather's smile turned into a slight frown. "Oh, he wanted me to let you know that he's very sorry, but he won't be able to make it." Lilly frowned. "Oh, okay. Well I'm going to go to the bathroom and then get back to the party." Her mother nodded and watched her daughters eyes flicker with disappointment as she walked away. She sighed.

Lilly stepped out of the room and let out a big sigh. Her dad let her down again. He'd been doing that a lot lately, but she just re-convinced herself every time that he was just busy. The song playing, "Low by Flo Rida" changed as she started walking down the hall to "Every Time We Touch by Cascada" It was a slower song, but Lilly picked it for a slow dance with the couples. "Shit!" She muttered to herself, she was missing the perfect time to dance with Adam. So she broke out into a sprint to the bathroom. Before she knew it, Lilly had collided with another person carrying a large tray. She opened her eyes and sat up. "Oh my God I am so sorry," she groaned, "Are you okay?" Lilly asked the person she collided with, her gaze still directed towards her now bleeding knee. "It's okay, and I'm fine. Are you alright?" The voice answered back. It was a boy, a deeper voice, and there was something about it that made Lilly's head snap up and stare right into his eyes. His beautiful brown eyes. "I…I'm fine. Sorry, it's my fault," she whispered as she continued to stare at the boy. He was no more than eighteen years old. He laughed, "Yeah it was, but don't even worry about it." The boy was staring back, beautiful brown locking gaze with electric blue. She looked away quickly as her cheeks flushed pink, breaking the connection, and started tending to her scraped knee once again. "That's going to leave a huge bruise," she sighed, half amused. "Here, let me look at it," the boy said and grabbed a napkin that lay askew on the floor. He gently blotted at her wound and collected all of the blood on her leg. She winced and exhaled sharply. "Ouch." The boy softened his already gentle touch and said, "Just a little bit more." She examined him as he took care of her knee. He had longish black hair, which hung messily all over the place, but it was cute, she had already taken note to his mesmerizing brown eyes, she noticed he obviously worked out because she saw his muscles working from the inside of his uniform, and he had the most amazing scent she had ever smelled. "There!" The boy exclaimed, seemingly proud of his work. Lilly snapped out of a daze she did not even realize she was in and looked down at her knee. The bleeding had stopped. 

"Thank you so much, that feels a lot better, and once again I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. He smiled. "It's my pleasure, and once again it's okay." Lilly smiled, "Well thank you again…" and she started to walk off. "Wait!" She turned around again. "Yeah?" The boy took a step towards her. "Well can I get you name?" Lilly felt her cheeks turn hot again. "Oh well, I'm Lillian but everyone calls me Lilly, and my best friend Miley usually calls me Lils." Her hand flew up to her mouth and she groaned. He wore a big smile. "Well I'm Joseph, better known as Joe. But my best friend doesn't have another cool nickname for me," the boy said in mock jealousy. He stuck out his hand. She giggled, and accepted the gesture. "Well very nice to meet you Joseph, do you like work here or something?" she asked. "Yeah, yeah I'm a waiter," he said, mocking misery now. She giggled again. "Oh how terrible you must feel," she said, playing into his little drama skit. He put on a large frown, "I can barely feel your sympathy Lillian, that hurts," he said, hitting his heart. "I'm sorry Joseph, I do care, really. But I have a party to get back to," Lilly said, her mind finally formed the words telling him she had to go, but something still protested. His smile turned into that of a real frown. "Oh, well who's party?" She smiled, "Mine! I'm fifteen today," she told him. "Really?! Well happy birthday Lillian," Joe said with a smile plastered onto his face again. "Thank you Joseph," she said back. "Well I probably should get back to work anyways, so you have a nice birthday, and come back around sometime eh?" Joe invited her. Lilly smiled. "Just maybe I will." He awkwardly opened his arms for a hug and she awkwardly accepted. By now the song had changed to another slow one, "You and Me by Lifehouse." They pulled away from their long hug, and looked into each others eyes again, rekindling the connecting. Joe leaned in as did Lilly, their lips connecting. She felt her whole body go numb with tingles. She pulled away fast. "Did you feel it too?" He whispered to her. Reality hit her. "Joseph this cant happen, I can't do this, I have a boyfriend!" Joe scrunched his face up and frowned, but said nothing. She turned and started running away, but she screamed one last thing behind her. "I felt it too!" Joe smirked and watched the beautiful blonde stumble away. "I think I just fell in love," he muttered to himself as he bent down to pick up the scattered tray, his heart still beating fast. And as soon as Lilly turned the corner she threw herself on the floor, back up against a wall, and head in her hands. "Shit." She still felt his lips on hers, and all the tingling and numbness that came with it.

* * *

"…and that's how they met; the day of her fifteenth birthday. As much as she didn't want to admit she had definitely felt something for Joseph, and Joseph definitely felt it for her too," Joey explained to his classmates. "You're such a loser," a voice from the back of the room rang out and interrupted. Joey stared back there. "And why is that?" he asked his classmate. "You named the main character after you, hah you couldn't get something like that if you tried," the bully retorted. "Tyler, that's enough. Joey, you're doing wonderful," Ms. Barlett said as she scolded the bully called Tyler. "I think it's a wonderful story Joey," a little girl classmate said. "Thank you Katie," Joey answered, as his face turned pink, "now should I continue?" A smile was visible on his cute little face. "Well hold on a second Joey," Ms. Barlett said took aside her student teacher, Miss Boulden, and whispered to her, "I really don't think this is an appropriate story for an 8 year old to tell to other 8 year olds." Miss Boulden smiled, "He's quite an amazing story-teller. I think we should get the principal down here to check him out." They were both hooked on the story. Everyone in the classroom was, even Tyler. Joey had them hooked; everyone wanted to know the story of Joseph and Lillian now.

Yes well in case you didnt catch on yet, if its italisized during the flashback story then its Joey telling that part to the class.  
oh yeah, and the whole class including the teachers think hes making it up on the spot. It will all come into play.

If you guys review i think you'll really like the next chapter! Ive got it all worked out. Thank you so much :D


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Everyone knew in the back of their minds that their story wasn't suitable for an 8 year old to tell his classmates. But they couldn't resist hearing it themselves. LOE.

* * *

**How They Fell In Love**

"_**They were both hooked on the story. Everyone in the classroom was, even Tyler. Joey had them hooked; everyone wanted to know the story of Joseph and Lillian now."**_

All the children sat at the edges of their seats, impatiently waiting for the principal to arrive so Joey could continue his story. Finally, he arrived. He quietly took a seat next to the teachers, and Ms. Barlett motioned for him to continue. "Okay," his little voice rang out in the silence of the room, "where did I leave off…"

* * *

_Two weeks after the party, and two weeks of non-stop thinking about the boy she had met on her birthday, she decided to go and see him at work. So one Saturday she had her mom drive her up to the club where she searched for Joseph._

Lilly stood at the entrance to the club and took a deep breath. "He's just a guy you met…just a friend…" She reassured herself over and over again, but her mind kept asking 'Why are you here then?' She finally got the courage to go inside and she had her hand on the door knob when a voice from behind startled her. "Lilly?" She whipped around and saw Joe jogging towards her from his car. "Oh, hey Joe," Lilly said to the ground. Joe sensed her shyness, so he put two fingers under her chin and lifted her head toward him. She was greeted with his warm smile, and she couldn't help but smile back. "What are you doing here?" Joe asked, as his heart thumped on and on. "Oh well…well, actually I was hoping we could talk some. You DID give me an open invite," She said with a false attitude. Joe playfully scoffed. "Well then, come on inside." He opened the door and held it open for her, and then they both entered the building. "Oh no…won't you get in trouble for me distracting you like this?" Lilly worried as she followed behind Joe. Joe smiled to himself. "Nah, my boss is pretty cool. As long as I'm working he doesn't care what the hell I'm doing. And plus, I like distractions." Lily felt her face turn red. "Well we'll be in the kitchen until some customers come, which wont be for at least another hour, since that's when we open, so lets have a seat and talk," Joe suggested. He gestured to a table and they both went over to it and took a seat. And they began talking.

"So tell me about yourself Lillian," Joe smoothly said. "You first Joseph," She said right back. He got a pouty look on his face, "Ha ha, fine. My name is Joseph Adam. I'm a senior at Lakeview High School. I'm 17, turning eighteen on August 15th. I really like to play music, and instruments, and do outdoor activities as well." Lilly frowned. "What's the matter?" Joe asked her confused. "Nothing…it's just that I feel so young. I'm only a fifteen year old sophomore over at Seaview." Joe looked up at her and smiled. "That doesn't make you any less beautiful." She felt herself blush, and Joe laughed. "God, I'm sorry I never blush this much," Lilly laughed. "It's very cute Lillian," he responded, "But now it's your turn. She sighed. "Well I'm Lillian Marie and I just told you where I went to school and you know my birthday. I have a best friend named Miley Stewart and a boyfriend named Adam Parker. I'm really into sports- especially skateboarding, yeah it's a sport! And I can act like a tomboy sometimes," she said shyly. "Well Lilly you seem like quite the interesting girl," Joe said. "Thank you Joseph, you're pretty interesting yourself." He looked into her blue eyes and smiled. She felt her heart speed up a million times faster than its normal pace. "B-but Joe, I really wanted to talk to you about…" she mumbled the last words she spoke. Joe instantly caught on. "The kiss?" he asked her. There went her cheeks again. "Yeah…" Joe smiled. "I really liked it Lilly. I haven't felt something like that in a while; maybe even never." Lilly opened her mouth to say something, but she was lost for words. "I mean I look at you, and I think you're so beautiful. I haven't stopped thinking about you since we crashed, and I mean it." Joe explained to her. Her eyes started welling up. "Joe…," she whispered barely audible, "I have a boyfriend." Joe nodded sadly. "I know, that's what really sucks, because…" he took his volume down to her level, "I know you felt it too. You told me you felt it too." Tears started rolling down Lilly's face. Her volume was an even lower whisper as she said, "Joe I don't get those feelings when I kiss Adam. I never have. You're…the only one. I don't know what to do." Joe gave her a small smile and reached over to wipe away her tears. "That's all up to you Lilly, you and only you. Okay?" She nodded her head as her phone buzzed quietly on the table. "My mom's here." She said as she stood. He got up and went over to her, wrapped his arms around her tightly. "It'll be okay Lillian. I promise." She nodded and hugged him back, the butterflies in her stomach going wild. She pulled away and waved goodbye. He waved back and she turned and headed for the door. He watched her as she left, and she turned around one last time. Temptations to run back and kiss him were eating at her, but she had a boyfriend. She had Adam.

"Every Saturday for a month Lillian would go back and see Joseph at the club, always talking, always tempted to kiss one another but never doing so, and never telling Adam where she was. Lilly just did not want to believe she was falling head over heels for Joseph. But the truth couldn't be avoided; she was falling in love with him. And he already had with her. But that's when the tragedies started striking poor Lillian…." Joey continued.

"I'm glad we finally exchanged cell numbers," Joe said, faking exasperation. "I'm sorry Joe! It's just that I was just being cautious, I mean…Adam, you know?" Joe rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, yeah Adam…" Lilly playfully smacked his arm. "Joseph Adam, I told you I already made up my mind. My heart belongs to Adam." Joe sighed, not a false one this time. "I know Lilly, and I'm sorry…it's just, hard." Joe knew she knew how much those words hurt him, but she couldn't do anything about it for she was lying through her teeth. Lillian's heart did not belong to Adam Parker, she just told everybody, including Joe, that. She was trying to convince herself, and convince Joseph that it was the truth, but she was unsuccessful in both. "I'm sorry," she softly whispered. Joe gave her a nod. "Are you angry?" she sadly asked. Joe sighed. "Yeah, I'm angry. But not with you Lillian, just at the fact that I can't have you." Lilly gave him a small, apologetic smile. They locked eyes again, both feeling the deep connection they always got, but it was broken at the honking of a horn. "Mom," Lilly sadly reported. Joe nodded. They gave each other one of their famous hugs, pushed away the temptations, and broke apart. They waved one last time as Lilly got into the car with her mother. "Do you have a thing for this Joe guy?" Heather asked her daughter. Lilly sighed. "I wish it were as simple as that," she muttered. "How complicated can it be? You're fifteen, it's not like you're going to be in love anytime soon," her mother laughed. Lilly gave a mocking fake laugh. What her mother didn't know was that she was falling in love, yes at fifteen. But the problem was Lilly herself didn't even know she was falling in love.

She spent the remainder of her Saturday over at Miley's house because the girls were having a sleep over. They sat around in her living room, in their pajamas, watching movies all night. Lilly barely watched one of those movies. Her mind was constantly racing between thoughts of Joe, and Adam. Miley didn't know how she felt about Joe. Lilly figured part of convincing herself it was nothing was not telling anyone else. The only one who knew was Joseph. She spent the time watching the movies going over his name in her contact list over and over, wondering whether she should text him or not. Finally, she forced herself to relax and have a good time. She pushed all the thoughts to the back of her mind and forced herself to have fun with her best friend. Around midnight her ringtone, You and Me, went off, which scared both of the teenagers. "Jesus, who is it?" Miley asked. Lilly picked up her phone and looked at it. "It's Adam. That's weird; he said he had a party tonight." Miley shrugged and Lilly answered. "Hey babe." There was a sigh on the other line. "Lilly?" Lilly's face started to portray a worried look on her face. Miley got up and sat right next to her so she could hear what he was saying.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Lilly asked her boyfriend. "No, Lilly, look I'm in Miley's driveway right now. Come out alone and talk to me okay?" Lilly and Miley looked at each other. "O-okay. Be out in a minute." He hung up. "What do you think is going on," Miley asked her best friend softly. "I don't know, but my hearts pounding. I'll be right back." Miley nodded and watched her go outside. Miley dialed a number on her cell and hit talk. "Hello?" came a groggy voice on the other end. "Jake? Have you talked to Adam about Lilly lately?" She heard Jake yawn. "No, not really, why?" Miley frowned and said, "He's outside on my driveway, it's midnight, and he demanded she come talk to him. I'm worried. What if he breaks up with her?" Miley worried. "Then you be the amazing friend you are and be there for her every second of it, there's really nothing you could do about it sweetheart," Jake answered. Miley smiled. "You're amazing Jake." She heard him laugh. "Thanks babe, you know you are too and you know I love you but I have to go to sleep. I have a football camp early tomorrow. Bye baby," he said. "I love you too. Call me afterwards, night." Then she hung up. At least twenty minutes passed before she saw Lilly, arms folded, walking up the walk. She had a look in her eyes Miley hadn't ever seen before. She opened the door and collapsed on the floor. "Lilly! Oh my God, are you okay?" Miley panicked and ran over to Lilly, dropping down besides her. "He…he broke up with me," Lilly whispered, shaking her head. Miley's face fell. "Oh Lilly…I am so, so, so sorry-"Miley began but Lilly interrupted her. "He told he found someone else, he had for at least two weeks. He said I was distant, and too prude for him," Lilly told her best friend. "Lilly that's not true and you know it," Miley reassured her. Lilly laughed a cold laugh. "The time I wasted, the last month of my life, the other months I spent with him. I can't believe it. I really liked him," Lilly whispered. "I know sweetie, I know," Miley said as she hugged her friend tightly, surprised she wasn't crying. In fact, Lillian didn't cry over Adam once. She even surprised herself. She loved Joseph; there was no avoiding it now. She loved Joseph.

* * *

"See the thing is, Lilly really did like Adam quite a bit but the way she felt about Joe made her avoid crying about it. As hurt as she was about Adam and bad as she felt, Joe was always on her mind to lift her spirits. She really did fall in love with him, it just took a breakup with her boyfriend to realize it," Joey told to his audience. All their eyes and ears were on him, entranced in the story.

* * *

The next morning, she awoke to find her and Miley asleep on the floor in the exact spot she collapsed in. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked at her best friend. Miley was a true friend, the best she could ever ask for. "Miley?" Lilly tried to awaken her and shook her. Miley's eyes opened and she rubbed them. "Morning Lils, how are you holding up?" Lilly answered, "Actually, I'm okay. Miley I don't know how to even thank you." Miley smiled and sat up. "You don't need to thank me hun, I'm your best friend." Lilly smiled back and nodded. "Miley I have to tell you something though." "What?" Miley asked. "Miley…I think I fell in love." Miley's jaw dropped. Lilly was the kind of person who never threw 'I love you around' unless she was sure about it. "What, are you serious?! Is it with Adam?" She questioned Lilly, clearly awake now. Lilly shook her head. "His name is Joseph." Miley's jaw dropped down wider. "What, whoa wait, what am I missing here? What didn't you tell me?" So Lilly told her best friend the whole story. How it was on her birthday, they literally crashed into each other, they fell in love. She told her about this kiss, and how magical it felt. How it made her numb, and sent tingles all through her body. How she had been lying to him and herself about how she felt about him, and how they both didn't buy it. "Why didn't you tell me?" Miley whispered. Lilly sighed and said, "I wanted to, I really did, but I thought it'd be easier to convince myself if I just kept it all to myself." Miley gave her a smile, "I understand. So what's going to happen between you and Joe now?" Lilly frowned. "I wish I knew Miley. I'm going to feel like a complete idiot if I just go and confess my love for him after almost two months of denying any feelings for him what so ever." Miley couldn't help but laugh. "Lilly, he already knows." Lilly looked at her best friend. "How would you know?" "That's the way you made it sound. Trust me." Lilly nodded. "I do trust you." "Good, now I want you to call Joe over here and tell him," Miley instructed Lilly. Lilly sighed again. "Okay, fine." She reached for her cell phone and almost started dialing his number she spent all last night memorizing when she got interrupted with a call. "It's my dad," Lilly said with a surprised look on her face. She pressed talk. Silence. "Dad?" she asked. "Lillian I'm moving out of this fucking house. I'm telling you now because your bitch of a mother won't tell you. I'm fucking divorcing her. We've had problems forever. Want to know more go ask her. Don't even try and contact me, I will contact you when I'm fucking ready. Goodbye." The line went dead. Miley's jaw was dropped and tears were in her eyes as she watched her best friend drop her phone and drop to the ground to start sobbing hysterically. She sat right next to her, and let Lilly cry on her shoulder for as long as she needed, tears even falling down her own cheeks. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to her best friend squeezing her tightly.

* * *

"That was just the beginning of Lillian's problems too. She watched as her perfect life began to crumble down, and she thought the worst was over. If she only knew it was just beginning…" Joey said dramatically.

* * *

Another chapter came pretty fast, well I was bored and wanted to avoid doing my chemistry homework. So here you go, I hope you liked it. Be prepared for more drama and LOE to come. Review for me please(: thank youuuuuuu!


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: Everyone knew in the back of their minds that their story wasn't suitable for an 8 year old to tell his classmates. But they couldn't resist hearing it themselves. LOE.

* * *

**Let the Pain Begin**

"_That was just the beginning of Lillian's problems too. She watched as her perfect life began to crumble down, and she thought the worst was over. If she only knew it was just beginning…" Joey said dramatically. _The already silent room seemed to get quieter, if possible. Everyone waited for Joey to continue.

**XoXo**

_"It had been a month since the break up and the life shattering news of the divorce, making it July now. Even though the summer was basically just starting, Lilly spent most of her time depressed; she did well to hide it though. Joseph and Miley however, saw right through her, all the time."_

Joseph walked into the bedroom where two girls slept soundly, one was his first love the other her best friend. He walked over to Lillian and placed a soft kiss on her lips, causing her to stir. Joe smiled at this and leaned down to do it again, but as he was halfway to her lips, her hand shot up and covered his mouth, causing him to jump.

"Good morning Joseph," she said with a smile, and withdrew her hand from his lips.

Joe smiled, and then put on his fake pouty look. "Lillian that's not fair!" He crossed his arms across his chest and wore a frown. Lilly laughed loudly, waking her best friend from her slumber.

"Whass going on?" Miley asked, confused and half asleep. Joe looked at her amused and Lilly laughed.

"Hey Miley!" Joe said cheerfully. Miley opened her eyes and screamed.

"Joe?! What's he doing here? It's 11 am!" Miley asked as she attempted to hide how she looked in the morning from the cute boy.

"I don't know, he surprised me too actually," Lilly replied to her brunette best friend. She turned her attention towards Joseph and gave him a look that asked for an explanation.

"Well Lillian, Miley, if you must know today is July 16th…" Joe said, earning a weird look from the sleepy girls.

Joe frowned. "Today is the two month mark from the day we actually met." Lilly and Miley giggled.

"You're such a cheese head Joseph," Lilly laughed. Joe grinned and playfully pushed her onto her back. "Only for you my dear," he whispered in a mock-seductive voice. Lilly blushed and smiled.

"Who let you in my house?" Miley asked, still very confused on the whole situation.

"Your dad did, but not after helping me make some amazing breakfast first!" Joe answered back, a huge smile forming on his face.

"Ew, Joe you can't cook. You just serve the food," Lilly said, trying her hardest to keep a straight look on her face.

Joe stuck out his tongue at her, "That's why Mr. Stewart helped me!"

"Pshh, I wish my boyfriend would do things like this for me," Miley grumbled as she slid out of her bed and walked out of the room. Lillian and Joseph watched her go and laughed.

**XoXo**

"_The three of them finished up the breakfast Miley's father prepared for them, and then went their different ways. Jake came by to pick Miley up so they could spend the day together, and Joseph stole Lillian away and took her back to his home…"_

"Welcome to my house baby, it's not much…" Joe mumbled as he held the front door to his house open for Lilly. She gasped and looked around.

"Joe, what are you talking about? It's beautiful!" Lilly stated in awe. Joe smiled, "Well thanks pretty lady." Lilly looked at him and laughed. "Cheese head."

Joe grinned and leaned over to kiss her. She put her fingers to his lips instead, causing him to frown at her. "So how about a tour Joseph?" He muttered something under his breath but answered, "Okay, okay. Follow me."

**XoXo**

"Wait, wait, wait stop the story!" a boy from Joey's eager audience shouted out, "Why won't Lilly let Joe kiss her if they're 'so much in love'?" Joey smiled and everyone proclaimed their agreement. "Well see," Joey explained, "Lilly had just gotten out of her relationship with Adam less than a month ago and she didn't want to rush things with Joe so fast. Yes, she loved him and he loved her but she did not want to speed things up. However if Joseph caught her at a good moment, they did share kisses." The class muttered their 'ohs' this time, and Joey continued the story.

**XoXo**

"…and last but certainly not least, my room!" Joe said in his best announcer voice as he opened the white door for Lilly. She stepped in and was immediately hit with the strong scent she loved so much. His room was considerably large; it had a queen sized bed, a dresser, a desk with a computer, a TV and a semi-walk in closet. She walked around the room for closer examination. There were posters of some of his favorite bands hanging up, and a few of Jessica Alba. Lilly frowned when she saw these, but continued checking out his room. Framed on his desk was a picture of them taken earlier in the month, Joseph was kissing her cheek and she had a fake surprised look on her face. She smiled at the memory of that day.

"You have a pretty nice room Joseph," Lilly said, turning to him. He smiled, "Thanks baby, I think the picture makes a pretty nice touch if I do say so myself." Lilly just grinned at him.

"I might be crazy, but your room kind of seems bigger than your brothers," Lilly half stated, half asked.

"Oh yeah, well it is," Joe said with a smile, "I kicked ass at getting it first." Lilly laughed with him.

The two stood there awkwardly for a moment before Joe broke the silence. "Lilly…" She looked up at him. The connection that they were now so familiar with happened again, the tingles returned too. She swallowed. "Y-yeah?" She stuttered, trying to regain her focus.

"I love you," He whispered to her. Joe's heart was pounding loudly and they continued to stare into each others eyes. Sure, they'd said it before. Sure, they both knew it was true. But something about the moment made them realize this was for real.

"Joseph…" She started, but lost her train of thought to his eyes once more.

He shook his head angrily, which surprised Lilly. She had never seen Joe look angry. "No Lillian, we both know it, we both feel it, and we both love each other! Why can't you just accept it?" He questioned, voice raising a little.

She sighed and felt her heart drop lower with the tone of his voice. "Joseph," She whispered, barely audible, "I can't. You know I can't."

Joe shook his head again. "Stop saying that Lillian, tell me, why can't you?" Adam?"

She opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by Joseph yelling. "You found something so much better! So much more…" His tone dropped lower at the last sentence.

Tears welled up in Lillian's eyes. She took a step towards him. "I'm scared Joe." His expression softened with her confession.

"Scared of what baby?" He asked her softly. He watched a tear fall and she sighed heavily.

"I…I do love you Joseph. But even though I didn't really mind…well I did mind the breakup. It…it hurt Joe. I don't want to feel more pain. And the divorce…" She mumbled to the confused boy in front of her.

He reached out to the tearing girl and pulled her into an embrace. She shivered at the connection of their bodies. "I promise you, I won't ever hurt you," he whispered to her. And he meant it.

They stood there, his strong arms wrapped around her tightly, as she cried. Suddenly, she pulled apart from his body a little bit, leaned up, and kissed him. He was caught by surprise, but quickly returned the kiss. They broke apart, and she looked away, but he gently grabbed her chin and pulled her lips back towards his.

The small kiss turned into a passionate one very quickly. Joe's tongue roamed her bottom lip and begged her to let it in. He gained entrance and a small moan from the back of her throat in return. As their tongues battled and dominated each other, the feelings got more heated with each passing second.

He turned her around and shoved her against the nearest. He pinned her shoulders and began kissing her neck, her collar bone, everywhere that was accessible and not blocked by cotton. She was moaning louder now, both their hearts beating fast together.

She reached down to the bottom of his shirt and began tugging it off his body. He stopped kissing her for a moment and helped it over his head, and once it was off she threw it across the room. His lips were back on her skin now, and her hands were roaming his toned chest wildly.

He started kissing her neck again and tried to move lower. He put his hands under her shirt and she shivered at his touch. Her stomach was showing now and just as she was about to help him take it off, her phone rang. "Forget…it," she managed to breathe out, so upon her command he kept going. Her phone started ringing again, and she regained enough focus to hear that it was Miley's ringtone. Somehow through all the feelings she was having with Joseph right now, she realized she should answer it. Miley knew she was with Joe.

"I…I have to g-get that Joseph," She said, with minor difficulty. He kissed her in protest, but she gently pushed him away and ran over to her phone.

She cleared her throat and answered, "Hello?"

"Lilly?"

Lilly looked at her phone once more, it was Miley's number but that was not Miley's voice.

"Yeah, who is this?" Lilly asked the mystery caller.

"Oh sorry, this is Jackson's girlfriend Taylor," the caller, now known as Taylor, replied. Something was wrong; now that Taylor spoke Lilly could hear a weird tone in her voice.

"Is something wrong?" Lilly asked, concern taking over the feelings she was just experiencing.

"Well actually yes, Miley's boyfriend Jake Ryan just got in a huge car accident. Miley, thank God, wasn't in the car at the time but she's a real mess right now. Her dad and her brother are trying to calm her down, so they had me call you. We're at the hospital-"Taylor began, but Lilly interrupted by saying, "We'll be right there." She hung up the phone and began searching for her things.

"What's going on?" Joe asked, confused by the expression on her face. Lilly didn't answer. "Is everything okay baby?"

"No time Joe, we need to get to the hospital now," Lilly exclaimed when she found her purse. Joe watched the blonde bolt out of his bedroom. He grabbed his shirt and keys and ran right after her.

**XoXo**

"Miley!"

The brunette turned around at the sound of her name. She saw Lilly and Joe running towards her.

"Miley, we got here as fast as we could," Lilly panted, out of breath, "What's going on?"

Lilly looked up and got a good look at her best friends face. Her cheeks were tear stained and her usually twinkling blue eyes were dull and red. Lilly felt her stomach lurch and her heart sink when she saw Miley like this. Miley burst back into sobs and threw herself into the blonde's arms.

"He…he w-was coming b-back to get me," She cried, barely understandable. Lilly felt her own eyes tear up; Jake was one of her close friends too.

"I…I don't understand…" Lilly whispered. She felt hot tears drip down her face as she held the sobbing brunette.

"Jake got in a serious accident Lilly; he's in critical condition right now. The doctors are doing everything they can, but…they're not too sure he's going to make it," Miley's father sadly answered for his hurting daughter. At these words, Miley began to break down even harder. Except this time, she was joined by her best friend. The two girls stood there in the waiting room, holding each other sobbing. Joseph, Mr. Stewart, Jackson, and Taylor just stood there sadly, watching the girls, praying for this to all be alright.

**XoXo**

"EEEWWWWWW!" The class exclaimed in unison. Ms. Barlett jumped up from her seat. "Um, Joey…I don't know if that was entirely appropriate. Maybe we should put the story on pause." The whole class turned their gazes towards her. "We want to hear the rest," shouted a boy from the back. "Yeah!" the whole class agreed. Ms. Barlett sighed, as much as she knew this shouldn't be happening, she too wanted to hear. "Okay, fine, continue Joey." Joey smiled and cleared his throat, "Okay…now where was I…"

"_A few hours passed without any word from the doctors, or a sign of Jake. His parents had shown up by now and everyone sat just comforting each other, still praying for the best."_

The gang were spread all across the waiting room. Miley and her father were sitting by Jake's parents, the two women crying and hugging each other, and the two men talking and expressing their concerns. Taylor and Jackson were reading a magazine off in the corner. Lillian was on the couch, falling asleep in Joseph's arms as he held her and wiped away every tear that fell. It was very late at night.

After what seemed like forever, the eight worried people finally got company. It was Jake's doctor. Everyone immediately sprang to life and began bombarding the doctor with questions. He politely raised his hand and asked for the parents of Jake Ryan. They stepped forward.

"How is he, how is my baby boy?" Jake's mother asked almost hysteric.

The doctor frowned sadly. "Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid Jake did not make it..."

All that could be heard as soon as those tragic words left his lips were the sound of gasping and three women breaking down. Miley screamed and collapsed on the floor.

**XoXo**

The class was hushed. "Lillian was a mess even more so now. First the divorce, the break up, and now she lost one of her closest friends all in the period of one, maybe two months. Now she definitely thought she'd seen the worst, but she didn't know and didn't think it possible that things could get even worse than this now. But they could, and they were going to." Joey whispered to the class.

Everyone gasped softly.

* * *

Im so slow at updating, i apologize ten trillion times!(:

lets review now, shall we?

-Jenna, your new best friend!


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"It had been a week since Jake died, the funeral was coming this weekend, and Lillian and Miley couldn't have been in a worse state. Miley sunk into a terrible depression and spent the week isolated in her room, refusing to talk to anyone except Lilly. Both girls stayed home from school, and spent that time together crying," Joey said.

**XoXo**

There was a knock at the door.

"Miley, Lilly?" Robbie Ray asked gently as he knocked on his daughter's bedroom door, "Please guys unlock the door." No reply. Robbie Ray sighed and ignored his breaking heart to ask, "I just want to know if you guys want anything to eat?" He pressed his ear against the door.

The only sound was the two teenagers' soft sobbing. The man sighed again and walked away in defeat.

"Fuck my life," Miley harshly whispered to her best friend. Lilly blinked back tears and looked at her.

"I know how you feel," Lilly choked out. Miley looked away as fresh tears started down her cheeks. "I…I just want him to hold me, I didn't even get to say goodbye," she whispered. All Lilly could do was nod.

"I know Miles, I know." She pulled the brunette into a hug, both girls sobbing softly once again.

Moments later, Lilly felt a vibration in her pocket. She pulled away from Miley and grabbed her phone. It was Joe.

"_Hey baby, is everything okay? I love you_" As Lilly read it she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She felt so bad; she hadn't even talked to Joe more than twice over the week. She knew it was breaking his heart to see her like this, but she couldn't push herself to do anything about it.

"Just answer him Lils, I know everything is fucking hard right now, but Joe really cares," Miley told Lilly, as if reading her mind. She gave her blonde best friend a weak smile.

"_Joseph I am so sorry I've been distant lately, I haven't been motivated to do ANYTHING. It just all hurts so badly. I love you too, so much_" She pressed the send button and waited for his response. It came fast and she could almost picture his face lighting up at her reply.

"_I understand completely baby. It hurts seeing you like this. Feel better; give Miles a big hug for me. XoXo_" Lilly closed her phone and smiled, a real smile, for the first time since the news.

"You really love him." Miley stated looking at Lilly. Lilly looked down and nodded. "Then what are you so afraid of Lils, go out with him, be with him." Lilly shook her head.

"I…I can't Miley." She whispered sadly.

"Why the fuck not?" Miley asked. She had gotten a nasty habit of swearing since the accident.

Lilly bit her lip and looked at Miley. She sighed. "I'm so scared. I'm scared of getting hurt even more. I mean…Miles the past two months have been like hell for me…"

Miley nodded and firmly replied, "Joe won't hurt you." Her tone told Lilly she was serious.

"He promised me he wouldn't. But…I'm scared. I want to be with him so badly but something inside won't let me," Lilly said as new tears filled her eyes.

"He's a good fucking guy Lilly. Don't let him go." Miley said and she attempted to give Lilly a smile. Failed.

"I'm not…I just can't…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Be his girlfriend?" Miley asked. Lilly nodded. "Well maybe Joe can be the one thing to make you happy Lils."

Lilly looked at Miley again. She hadn't thought of it that way. Maybe Joseph wouldn't hurt her; maybe he could be the thing to turn her life around. Nothing else had seemed to do that lately. Maybe she didn't have anything to be scared of. "You're right Miles," she whispered so silently Miley barely heard her.

Miley managed to successfully give her a small smile and pulled the blonde into a tight hug. "I love you Lils, thanks for everything."

Lilly squeezed her back. "I love you too Miley, I know you're there for me anytime too."

The girls pulled apart and Miley sighed. "Do you want anything to drink or whatever?"

Lilly shook her head. "I have no appetite what so ever."

"Me either. I must've lost a couple pounds; I haven't eaten anything except a few granola bars…" Miley said, half joking. Lilly smiled and watched Miley get up and walk to the bathroom.

"Ugh I look terrible," Miley called to Lilly. She examined herself. Messy hair, old and smeared makeup, red eyes, dark circles under them…

Lilly got up and walked over to the conjoined bathroom to join her. "Ew I look disgusting too," she said, horrified by her appearance.

The girls sighed and left the bathroom to return to sit on the bed.

"I think I should change my shirt since I haven't in oh, 5 days," Miley muttered. She got up and went to her closet to pick a new outfit. She pulled off her long sleeved pajama shirt. As she did Lilly noticed something odd; something that made her heart sink to her stomach. Miley put on a clean new long sleeved pajama shirt and joined Lilly back on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Miley asked when she noticed her best friend staring at her with a shocked expression. Lilly grabbed the brunette's left arm and quickly yanked the sleeve up. She looked down and felt tears roll down her cheeks. Miley's arm was covered in cuts, small ones surrounding the big one. She had carved 'Jake' into her arm.

Lilly looked up at Miley and saw her best friend crying. "Miley…" Miley looked away, unable to look the blonde in the eyes. Lilly swallowed. "Miley, why?"

There was a moment of silence before Miley answered her in a whisper, "It helps Lils." Miley slowly pulled her sleeve back down and was hit with the biggest hug from her best friend she'd ever gotten. The girls were sobbing again.

**XoXo**

"I don't get it!" a girl asked Joey, "What happened with Miley?"

"She cut herself you idiot! My sister had to go to therapy last year for doing that," a boy answered her.

"What's that mean?" a different girl asked.

"Okay guys, cutting is when people who are very sad or depressed make cuts on their body purposely because it makes them feel better. It's very bad," Joey explained to the classroom.

"Is Miley going to be okay?" a boy asked concerned. The class agreed with and the little voices all expressed their concern.

"Well let's just say the cutting isn't the worst thing Miley could do…" Joey answered. "Now then…"

**XoXo**

"_It was about another week after that, two weeks from Jake's tragic death, and the only progress Miley and Lilly made was leaving the room and being just a little bit more social. Lilly was talking to Joe every day again and even starting to let him see her."_

"Hey guys," Joe said softly as he walked into Miley's house. The two girls gave no response from their seats on the couch. Joe flashed a sorrowful look at Robbie Ray and went to join the girls in the living room. They looked up at him when he sat down across from them.

"How you guys doing?" He asked the broken teenagers. No reply.

Joe felt his heart break a little as he examined Lilly and Miley. They looked absolutely miserable. He saw Miley nudge Lilly gently, and Lilly cleared her throat. Her throat was dry, it hurt.

"Hey Joseph," she said weakly. Joe's face brightened a little bit and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey baby, how you doing?" he asked her. Before she could even try to reply, Miley got up and excused herself to the bathroom. Lilly winced. "What?" Joe asked her confused.

Lilly knew Miley was going to go cut. It killed Lilly every single time she had to watch her best friend make a mark upon her body. "Nothing…" she choked out.

Joe got up and sat next to Lilly. For the first time in a while, she took in his sweet scent and felt her body go numb. Lilly felt comfortable with someone else besides Miley for the first time. She relaxed into his arms, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I…I'm sorry Joe."

Joe shook his head, "its okay Lilly. I understand. I'm here for you." She weakly smiled and leaned over and for a brief moment, their lips met. "I'm ready Joe,' she whispered.

"Ready?" Joe asked her. But before she could clarify, a loud bang was heard from the bathroom. Lilly jumped up and spoke to Miley's dad and Joe, "Stay here, I'll be right back." The men shot glances at one another but obeyed the blonde.

Lilly ran as fast as she could over to the bathroom, thoughts racing. She knocked on the door. "Miley, it's just me, open up." Nothing at first, but soon she heard the door click unlocked.

Lilly looked down and gasped. Miley's arms were split open worse than ever. Blood was running down her arms and it covered her clothes and the crystal white floor. She was holding a large knife. "Lilly…" she managed to say, "I love you babe, best friends forever, I can't do this anymore. Make sure everyone see's the note on the sink." She raised the knife.

Lilly screamed, "MILEY NO, MR. STEWA-"She stopped and was forced to watch as her best friend plunged the already blood stained knife into her heart.

Lilly's bloodcurdling scream could have been heard from miles away.

**XoXo**

"So Miley took her life…" Joey whispered to the class.

Everyone was silent. A couple of the kids had tears falling from their eyes. They understood what THAT meant.

* * *

Awweeeee, that was such a sad chapter.

I'm sorry for my lack of updating. I really should work on that.

Review please guys, I know you read it so take the time to say something about it.  
It'd make me verrrrry happy!

-Jenna


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"_So Miley took her life…" Joey whispered to the class.  
Everyone was silent. A couple of the kids had tears falling from their eyes. They understood what THAT meant._

**XoXo**

No one could speak a word, not the teachers, not the principal, not the children. Joey tried his best to hide his smile, proud of himself for telling the story so well. "Well…"

* * *

"_Lilly was even worse now. It had been another two weeks, making it August now, since Miley committed suicide and four weeks since the fatal crash. Lilly spent her time locked away in her bedroom, constantly crying, not coming out or speaking to anyone. That meant anyone. Her phone was dead and had been for almost the full two weeks."_

Lilly dried her eyes as best as she could and tried her hardest to keep the tears from flowing, she just needed a quick break. She pulled open her dresser drawer and took out a small earring box. Inside held her relief, her temporary savior that could stop some of her pain for a short period of time; a razor blade.

She knew it was terribly hypocritical that she started cutting herself, but her best friend had been right; it did help. She convinced herself that she was going to do it not only because it worked, but because if Miley had suffered this way, she was going to as well.

She added five fresh red lines to the family of scabs and scars and sighed. What a mess her life had become. In just a few short months she had lost one of her good friends to an accident, her best friend had committed suicide right before her eyes, and she basically lost her parents. She never heard from her dad anymore and her mom was an emotional wreck, and Joe…

She hadn't even spoken to Joseph since the day of Miley and Jake's funerals, which occurred about two days after her death. She made another cut on her arm thinking about him and then the tears started again.

She knew she was being selfish, that Joe wanted nothing more than to hold her as she cried…to make it all better, but she couldn't do anything. All she ever had the strength to do was cut herself. She hardly ever ate anymore; she was getting very skinny.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on her door, making her jump. She thought everyone had given up on trying to talk to her.

"Lillian?"

Her heart stopped, and her breath shortened. Joe was outside her door. She tried her hardest to speak, she knew Miley would've encouraged her to do it, but her voice was lost due to not speaking in nearly two weeks.

"Lilly…" he tried again. Lilly could hear his voice quiver and with a sharp pain in her chest, she realized he was crying. She forced herself off the floor and stumbled over to the bedroom door to unlock it. She opened it slowly.

"J…" was all she could get out. She winced; her throat was so dry it hurt to speak. Her voice was cracked and raspy. She looked up at Joe.

He looked terrible; his hair a greasy looking mess, his eyes red and puffy, dark circles lined them. Lilly felt tears stream down her face at the sight of him. She knew she caused this pain for Joe.

They stood there, eyes connected, losing control of their bodies. No matter what pain they were going through, they still felt everything in the world when their eyes locked. However, Lilly was so weak that when her body went numb, she collapsed on the floor. Joe immediately rushed to her side.

"Baby…are you okay?" He whispered, concern lining his sweet and addicting voice. Lilly blinked a couple of times and nodded her head slowly.

Joe picked her up in his muscular arms and laid her down on her bed. Lilly let out a sigh and Joe laid down right next to her.

"I miss you baby," He said sadly. Lilly coughed and cleared her throat over and over, but couldn't get any words to come out. She squeezed his hand tightly instead.

"You look awful baby, like you haven't eaten in forever," Joe stated. She felt his tears burn a hole in her arms as they hit her skin. All she could do was nod. "Come with me baby, get out of the house; we'll go get something to eat. We can go to your favorite restaurant…?"

Lilly shook her head. As much as she wanted to, she knew she'd never be able to. Joe sighed. "This is dangerous babe, and I know your mom and your dad haven't been much of a help…I'm so sorry…but you need to eat baby. Please, for me?" Joe pleaded; more tears escaped his brown eyes. Lilly shook her head again. It was terrible, the first time she'd seen him in weeks and she couldn't even bring herself to be with him.

Joe sighed again. "I'm worried about you Lilly, so you're coming." He gently picked her up off the bed and carried her in his arms out the door. Every muscle in her body twitched in protest, but the combination of how weak she was and how much she loved being in his arms prevented her from putting up a fight.

**XoXo**

"_So Joe carried her from her silent house and placed her into his car. He drove them off to the town to go to her favorite restaurant. The ride there was silent and depressing. The sun hurt Lilly's eyes…"_

They pulled into the parking lot of The Olive Garden and Joe stopped the car. He looked over at Lilly and asked, "You ready baby?" She gave no hint of any reply. He sighed once again, and got out of his door to open hers. He was about to pick her up but she held up a hand. She got out of the car and tried with much difficulty to stand. Joe weakly smiled and assisted her. With his arm around her shoulder, and hers around his, they slowly walked inside the restaurant.

"Can I get you kids something to drink?" The middle-aged waitress asked them happily once they were. "I'll have a coke, and water for her please," Joe answered the lady. "Mmhm," she wrote down the orders and walked off. "What do you want to eat baby?" Joe asked Lilly. Lilly shook her head. Joe frowned. "Please baby, talk to me."

The waitress came back with their drinks. Lilly immediately reached for hers and took a long sip of her water. The cold liquid felt good against her burning throat. Her glass was finished in less than a minute. Joe looked surprised, but he knew she probably hadn't really drunk anything in a while. Lilly cleared her throat and tried to speak. She succeeded, but it still hurt a little bit.

"Joe…it hurts to talk," she said slowly. Joe's eyes brightened. "It's okay baby, it's so nice to hear your voice though." He smiled.

"I love you," she whispered as best as she could. He grabbed her hands. "I love you too Lillian." The connection was rekindled. Blue met brown again, and before they knew it, the two teens were leaned over the table kissing passionately. All the strength Lilly could muster was pushed into this kiss. They broke apart when the waitress came back.

"Sorry kids…" she mumbled embarrassed. Joe waved it off and said, "It's okay." She smiled at the boy and got out her notepad, "What'll it be?"

He got Lilly to at least eat a salad, and Joe ordered a large pepperoni pizza for himself and Lilly if she'd eat it."That'll be right up kids," the waitress said with another smile and walked away for the second time. The teens intertwined their fingers together again.

"So Lilly…I know you're not holding up to well, but…anything you'd like to talk about?" Joe warily asked. He felt the pain in his chest now as he saw her eyes fill with tears. "Oh no baby, don't cry, you don't have to talk about anything."

She shook her head, sighed, and whispered, "I'm sorry Joseph; it just…hurts like hell." Joe nodded.

"I know baby, I know. I'm so sorry about everything…I wish I could make it better," he said sadly.

"But you can't…" Lilly said, anger lining her voice. She didn't know where this was coming from, she knew Joe didn't say anything wrong but she couldn't stop the anger from coming.

Joe noticed the change of tone as said confusedly, "I know baby, I just wish I could make it all better for you."

"But you cant Joe, you just can't. Nobody fucking can!" –She was yelling by now- "My best fucking friend is dead, so is another one of my close friends, and my parents are fucking useless dead weights that are divorcing! No one can make this fucking better!"

Joe was taken aback, and the whole restaurant was watching the rampaging fifteen year old scream at him. "Lilly…I…"

"Fucking save it Joseph," she snarled, "I _hate_ you!" She spat the last part out in the nastiest tone she'd used all day and ran out of the restaurant. Joe was left sitting there in shock. He felt his heart tear into thousands of tiny pieces. He hadn't even realized the tears falling down fast until his pant legs were soaked in them. She said she hated him…the one he loved said she hated him.

**XoXo**

Lilly ran, she couldn't feel her legs carry her, and she had no control over where they were taking her, but all she knew was she was going to find a blade. She just lost all control over her emotions and the anger she felt for months that was bottled up was released on Joe. She told Joe she hated him. Tears flooded her eyes as she realized what she had done. She dropped down to her knees on the sidewalk and just sobbed. "Shit," she sobbed to herself over and over. People passing her sadly stared at the obviously broken girl.

What felt like hours later, she finally regained enough energy to start walking. She had no idea where she was, the street names and buildings were so unfamiliar, even though she had walked these streets countless times. She knew she was in the downtown shopping plaza, but her mind couldn't register it. She had come here so many times with…Miley…she sighed and felt the hot tears sting her cheeks once again. She really missed her best friend.

Joe drove the streets through tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he shouldn't be so worked up over this, he knew she was upset and she didn't mean it, but it hurt so badly. Her words broke his heart. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care that he was wasting gas pointlessly driving around; all he cared about was Lilly.

He didn't know how long he was driving, but he suddenly found himself in front of her house. He knew it would be pointless to try to call her cell, for it had been off for the past two weeks but he found himself dialing her familiar number anyways.

"_Hey this is Lilly! Wait for the beep and tell me your story!"_

He sighed and weakly smiled as he heard her cheerful recorded voice. He missed hearing her voice sound like that; even though out of the four months or so he knew her she was only cheery like that for two of them. He wished silently to himself that she could be happy again, purely for her sake.

He drove off from her house and absentmindedly drove to the one place he always knew he could get away from everything at. He had done it since he was younger; it was a small clearing in the back of some woods. It was extremely hard to find and he hadn't seen signs of anyone else being there in the years he had been going. So he went.

**XoXo**

Lilly found herself recognizing the place she walked to now, it was her neighborhood. The drive to the shopping plaza was 20-30 minutes at least, so she knew she must've been walking for a long time. She walked down the silent streets to her house and arrived there five minutes later. She reached for the knob, and found it unlocked. No one was home though, as usual. She sighed and dragged herself up the stairs to her bedroom, not even bothering to shut the door behind her.

She immediately went to her dresser for the second time that day, and made fine red lines all across her arms. She did not know how many cuts she did, but she cut until she was temporarily relieved. Blood trickled down her arms and onto the floor. She felt lightheaded, but shook it off to grab a dirty shirt to wrap around the wounds. She lay on the floor and broke out into sobs. "I…am…so…stupid!" she whispered to herself as she sobbed and her whole body shook violently.

Joe was lying down on his back on the cool grass of the clearing, listening to the small river softly brush up against its banks. He was crying hard and repetitively dialing Lilly's number to hear her voice. But every time he did so, his heart would break even more. He just didn't understand what happened. He kept trying to tell himself that she didn't mean it, but he failed every attempt to convince himself. He found himself just wishing this pain would end.

**XoXo**

"That's intense…" a boy whispered to the class. No one could even agree with him; they were all lost for words.

"Will they end up okay, Joey?" a girl asked him as she wiped away a tear.

"Well Jessica, we'll just have to wait and see," Joey replied, "Anyways…"

**XoXo**

"_At least two hours later, Lilly decided she should do at least something for Joe. The only thing she could think of was charging her cell phone. So she plugged it in, and turned it on. No messages or voicemails. She sighed, knowing she should pick up the phone and call him and beg for forgiveness, but she couldn't."_

Joe pressed redial for what seemed like the millionth time and waited for the familiar voicemail to come, but instead something happened that made him bolt upright. It rang. Joe's heart sped up and started thumping rapidly. She turned it on…

Her cell phone started ringing, which made Lilly jump 10 feet in the air. It was 'Every Time we Touch' playing…that was their song. She jumped over to her phone and saw he was calling. Her heart pounded and her stomach lurched. She wanted to answer it, but she couldn't get herself to do it. She let out a frustrated scream as the screen read 'one missed call- Joseph'

He sighed and let the tears come once again. He waited for her voice over the voicemail, and realized now that the phone was on he could leave a message she would get.

"_Hey this is Lilly! Wait for the beep and tell me your story!"_

He left her a message, and then he started sobbing and quickly hung up the phone.

**XoXo**

Her phone beeped. She looked up and grabbed it quickly. It read 'one new voicemail' she immediately connected to her voicemail and waited. It was from Joe.

"_Hey Lillian, it's Joe. I have a story for you; it's about a guy and a girl who met one day and immediately fell in love. Well," _she heard him choke back tears_, "well…one day the girl told the boy she hated him, and it broke the boy's heart. But the boy will always love her, no matter what she says or does. But he wants this pain to end. Lilly…I…I think I'm going to kill myself…"_

Then the line went dead. Lilly felt her heart break and her mind go blank. She screamed.

**XoXo**

The whole entire classroom let out a gasp.

* * *

Hola, so I'm home sick from school today so yeah, you guys got an update.

Do you think Joe's really going to kill himself?! God, I hope not. That'd be terrible.

Review please, and I'll love you forever and ever.

-Jenna.


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